Alabama Street between Redlands and Highland to reopen Wednesday

Alabama Street between Highland and Redlands will reopen next week after an 11-month closure.

The San Bernardino County Flood Control District has completed a flood-prevention project along the roadway to address years of severe flooding and water damage.

The street is expected to be open by noon Wednesday.

The street had been subject to flooding over the years, which caused it to be closed seven times since 2003, according to a county news release.

“The culverts under the road were too small to handle the water and debris that came down City Creek, so it would overtop the road and wash it out,” said Gerry Newcombe, director of the San Bernardino County Public Works Department.

The project began in November 2013 and consisted of the construction of two 48-foot-wide by 169-foot-long arch culverts at City Creek; roadway widening and paving; concreted rock slope protection, and the installation of new electric, gas and communication lines.

“We just needed a bigger capacity to take the water and debris under the road and that’s what we have now,” Newcombe said.

The project meets the FEMA-approved 100-year flood capacity, and water-carrying capacity of the road crossing is now increased by more than 600 percent, according to a county news release.

The project was completed on time and under budget, according to the county.

The contractor completed the concrete work a few weeks ago and utility companies finished installing the utility lines before the road could be repaved, Newcombe said.

“They did a really good job,” he said. “Really, we were fortunate we had a really light winter.”

The project has already been put to the test when heavy rainfall hit the area on Aug. 3, causing damage around the county.

“It performed very well,” Newcombe said.

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The county estimates that about 12,000 motorists use the street every day.

Many motorists have been using the 210 Freeway as an alternate route.

The road closure has restricted access from Highland to Citrus Valley High School in Redlands.

“The closure of Alabama Street has had a large impact on anyone living in Highland who needs to travel from Highland into Redlands,” said Brad Mason, assistant superintendent of business services for the Redlands Unified School District, in an email. “The closure has reduced primary traffic routes from three to two.”

The two existing routes from Highland to Citrus Valley High School remain Boulder Avenue, which turns into Orange Street, or taking the freeway and exiting at San Bernardino Avenue, Mason said.

The opening of the street will be announced through the auto-dialer, an announcement in the daily bulletin and on the school website, Mason said.